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All communication is manipulation, and there's no alternative to advertising. Plus if you could basically eliminate advertising, it would depress the entire ec

• tomp 10y ago
  I disagree, twice. Technically, yes, all communication is manipulation, but I'm concerned about the intention of communication/advertising. Although some ads could only be informative, the vast majority exist not to inform, but to disinform/mislead. The proportion of ads advertising new products/services (as opposed to simply reinforcing existing brands) is miniscule. There already exist many services that allow exploration of new products. Things like ProductHunt and similar websites, various blogs, online communities like FB and HN, ...). Advertising is a net loss on the economy - it's a zero-sum game (people's attention is finite), so the more money my competitors spend on ads, the more money I have to waste on advertising as well, and I can't improve my product!
  • SerLava 10y ago
    It really really isn't zero sum. Ask Google- there will be a lot of good information about it. If value-adding enterprises are unable to market themselves, their business expenses can be forever lost to the world.
  • manigandham 10y ago
    > There already exist many services that allow exploration of new products That is still marketing. You're not really arguing against advertising. > Advertising is a net loss on the economy - it's a zero-sum game (people's attention is finite) That's how marketshare works.